Missed a huge check (full swing) swing last night (OH vs HI), the PU asked the ump first base ump and he didn't respond had to ask him twice. Bobby Valentine was all over him...the PU should have gotten the swing it was completely obvious.

[QUOTE=KJUmp;690178]In a regional game, I don't remember the teams, with a runner on first, a ground ball was hit to the infield. The runner was forced at second and the throw to first went out of play. They awarded the batter - runner third base. WHY?? One of the other five umps should have corrected this. On another play, did you see the first base ump emphatically call the runner out as the ball sailed past the fielder? Extremely bad timing. A batter was walked on ball three. Routine calls badly missed. The list goes on. Have you not been watching? We have to live this down because we are all "Brothers in Blue" and what they do reflects on all of us. These are not just opinion.

I especially enjoy "foul ball" being bellowed out by the plate umpire as the ball is rolling back down the screen behind the plate.

225. I've worked in the outfield on a small diamond. On balls hit to center field, you're still a long way away. And many crews will *not* send out U2 because they're afraid U3 won't rotate up to second so you get an umpire running away from a baseball instead of simply turning and ruling on the ball in the outfield. Everything is dumbed down for no good reason.

They are when the umpires don't have the baseball sense to take a few quick steps and a lean where necessary.

What you see on TV is not what you see everywhere, BTW. When our top district umpires (who all either worked or still work the WIAC, NAC, etc.) have a coach come out and ask for a kumbaya gathering, we tell them it isn't going to happen and that's the end of it. When I work on the bases, I stay outside the diamond as much as possible, including plays at second (unless the ball is hit to straight-away center field). I'm guessing we're not the typical district, though -- although after the top 5-6 umpires, we probably are.

5 of us in the district (not me, although I worked a Senior Regional -- I haven't applied to go to the LL regional cause I prefer working on a normal sized diamond) have worked a LL (majors) regional and one worked the LLWS. 1 of those assignments was a gold watch assignment. 3 of the other 4 worked plates in the regional final and the fourth worked U1 (and should've had a plate, but typical LL politics got in the way).

I enjoy (even more) watching the base umpires thrust their hands up like someone has a gun in their back on foul balls to the screen. I've worked with umpires that do this while I'm handing the catcher another baseball.

I've read the account of the umpire working first (who actually should've known the location of the BR TOT, since he would've watched the release from F4 to read the throw before focusing on the call at first). Being on TV keeps a lot of people from stepping up, I think.

Truth is, an award of third on this play should be so rare that eyebrows should've immediately raised when the award was made.

Enough bashing. Time to start work for the day. First FB game tonight.

While I applaud your "show them some respect" mantra - surely you can't be serious here... are you watching? Are you reading here? My brother knows that it takes 4 balls to walk a batter, and he knows the base awards... and he's not umpired his first game yet. It's not like these guys have had to deal with one of the TWP's we post here and argue about, or a typical cluster-F that an 8U umpire deals with every week. The rules they have screwed up, and the mechanics they have completely botched are elementary.

[QUOTE=Mrumpiresir;690210]This still makes me chuckle.

I've lost track of the count before, so I won't crawl up their butts for that. Anyone who hasn't lost a ball or rung up strike two either hasn't been doing this long or is lying.

And in terms of mechanics, I can't agree more. They'll dutifully pivot in unnecessarily on a clean hit, but can't bother to take a quick step or two and lean in order to get the right angle on an actual play.

I'm afraid replay will actually lower the expectations of LL -- they'll be happy to bring even more terrible people to the WS (You managed the concession stand for 30 years? Well, we contract that function out in WP and pay for it (imagine that), but would you like to umpire? No, no real experience necessary. We bring retired DAs all the time.)

My favorite mechanic is the bounding foul ball down the line that hits up against the fence. Meanwhile, the base umpire on that line or the outfield umpire is throwing his hands up and pointing foul like it was a foot from the line and he needs to sell it. Guys, if it's obvious there is no reason to sell it. Everyone in the park and watching on TV knows it was foul.

The one black shirt and 5 light blues ones are killing me...and if i see one more darn goatee or beard on an umpire I am going to scream. Can't shave your mutt for 2 weeks at the LLWS...seriously!

I've never understood this particular bias. There's nothing inherently incompatible about facial hair and umpiring. In fact, once I started wearing a goatee, I received far more respect from coaches than I did when I was clean shaven.

It is just the way it is! It killed me when Jim Joyce was wearing a goatee...looks horrible. Maybe you just became a better umpire...it wasn't because you grew facial hair.

What is up with the red undershirts under the jackets that are black with light blue and white stripes...that looks stupid!

Actually, it was. My thought is that I looked about 15 clean shaven and about 23 with the goatee, but it changed the way coaches interacted with me for the better.

Again, there's nothing inherently incompatible about umpiring and facial hair, even if you don't like it.